Two years and one album since they last graced the Metro stage, Maxïmo Park returned to entertain Sydney audiences on Friday night.
Supporting Maxïmo Park on their long awaited Quicken The Heart tour were Melbourne duo Denim Owl. Not since Fergie supported The Police have I seen a stranger support choice. One one hand, you’ve got an energetic “brit-pop” five piece that make you want to dance the night away. And on the other, you have a duo playing rather softcore “tropical cutesy ambient electronic pop”. Indeed, I have no other way to describe it. I hope that proved adequate. And this said, I actually really liked them: their beat keeps the energy flowing, the music is something to smile about, and the lyrics are as cute as they are well developed. It was just an odd, odd choice. But luckily, the rowdy parts of the crowd stayed off the dancefloor, and Denim Owl were provided with a respectful audience. This would never have happened in Maxïmo Park’s homeland, to which I’m sure most could attest!
But indeed, it was Maxïmo Park that the sold out crowd had come to get rowdy for, and they wasted no time to let loose, jumping along to Paul Smith and co’s opener, “Wraithlike”, off the new LP.
Paul Smith was his usual charismatic, scissor-kicking, energetic self, and worked his magic in keeping the crowd under his spell. Much like their last Metro gig in 2007, the rest of the band provided little but the backing track – and being the talented musicians that they are, with such energy found in their front man, they were doing exactly what they needed to. Letting him do his thing. However, keyboardist Lukas Wooller brought a lot more energy to the stage than my memory had served me.
But that’s not to say they “spice” things up much. With the exception of “Limassol”, the tracks were played as they originally appeared on the albums. With the mentioned exception, the boys gave the crowd a small taste of their jamming skills, and left me hungry for more. But the hunger remained, as they weren’t going to waste any time – racing through a total of 20 tracks in a little under 80 minutes!
The set itself was broken up pretty evenly between the three albums, and they gave the crowd just about everything they wanted, including a rarity in “Acrobat”. The encore also included a surprise cover of “Was There Anything I Could Do?” (off 16 Lovers Lane) by The Go-Betweens; their ode to Australian music. The cover proved a success, and the rarity of “Acrobat” provided a brief moment for the crowd to catch their breath.
Tracks such as “Sandblasted and Set Free” and “Parisian Skies”, which were highlights of their last tour, were notably absent, but replaced in style with tracks off the new album. One of which, “Let’s Get Clinical”, proved to be THE highlight of the evening, while hit single “The Kids Are Sick Again” went off like a treat. I was doubtful at first, but I have to say the new album is fantastic live, and from pure energy alone, this gig surpassed my experience from the last time they were in town.
It was an absolutely rollicking evening – this is one Newcastle five piece who really know how to bring it to a crowd. Well … they’ve got a front man who can, in any case. And what more do you need?
SETLIST:
Wraithlike
Graffiti
The Penultimate Clinch
Russian Literature
Postcard of a Painting
The Kids are Sick Again
Questing, Not Coasting
By The Monument
Apply Some Pressure
The Unshockable
Tanned
Acrobat
Roller Disco Dreams
Books from Boxes
Going Missing
Let’s Get Clinical
Limassol
Girls Who Like Guitars
ENCORE:
Was There Anything I Could Do? (The Go-Betweens Cover)
Our Velocity
